3D glasses are worth no more than the $3 up charge the theater wants (Source: Panasonic)

Give us a decently priced 3D TV with passive glasses and things might take off

A
disconnect in what analysts think will happen and what actually
happens with consumers seems to be commonplace within the TV
industry. In October, DisplaySearch released
some figures that forecast the shipments of connected TVs to soar
this year. So far, according to massive electronics retailer Best
Buy, the mass adoption of expensive sets with new features simply
hasn't happened and adoption of 3D TVs is still
slow.

Reuters reports
that Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn told analysts that sales of 3D TVs has
fallen behind expectations. Dunn said, "There was confusion
about 3D early (on). It was a little short on content." A little
short is an understatement, and one of the films that could have
helped drive 3D TV adoption – Avatar
– is locked up as an exclusive
for Panasonic until 2012.

With the news of slower than
expected sales of high-end TVs, Best Buy was forced
to cut the profit forecast for the year. Frank Ingarra from
Hennessy Funds stated, "The stock got killed today."
Ingarra co-manages a find that has 32,000 shares of Best Buy stock.
The stock closed at $35.52.

TV makers still expect sales to
improve next year as more 3D content becomes available. LG's Jay
Vandenbree told Reuters,
"Just like how high-definition TV started in sports and movies,
as 3D evolves, it will go with sports and movies and then become more
of an everyday thing."

Some also point out that 3D
content that is poorly produced is also making some watchers queasy.
Google's Google TV offerings are also not doing as well as expected
on the market. The main reason for this is the fact that most of the
major video streaming services and networks
blocked Google TV devices from accessing and streaming content
from sites like Hulu, Fox, and others effectively
killing the benefits of paying more for Google TV.

Perhaps
even more telling though is a statement from Ross Rubin, analyst at
NPD. Rubin said, "People can also buy lower-priced alternatives
to connected TVs, be it video game players, Blu-ray players or Apple
TV."

Consumers aren’t stupid; many are familiar with 3D
from the theater and most understand the benefits of 3D in the home.
What many consumers simply won't get behind are sets that are
overpriced and then require active glasses that cost $200/pair or
more adding an extra $800 or more to the cost of going 3D for a
family of four.

"It's okay. The scenarios aren't that clear. But it's good looking. [Steve Jobs] does good design, and [the iPad] is absolutely a good example of that." -- Bill Gates on the Apple iPad